Wanna Be a Minority

Not the black Spider-Man they're worrying about. Image via Wikipedia

Last week, Newser (or, as I think of it, the anti-Drudge Report) posted,

In eight metropolitan areas including Washington, DC, New York, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Memphis, minorities now make up the majority of the population, according to census data.

Based on how Fox News, Glenn Beck, and Matt Drudge have reacted to the news of the new, non-white Ultimate Spider-Man (not to mention the Action Comics #900 story), I’m starting to think that American social conservatives are, essentially, the last gasp of White America: the Americans who are racist but don’t think they are, who think white = traditional/normal and non-white = political correctness/liberal agenda Shoved Down Our Throats.

Well, guess what? We’re ALL minorities now. 21st-century America isn’t about finding community in like-minded individuals (either through church or biased internet news sites or whatever); it’s about respecting and celebrating our differences.

It’s hard for me to watch some TV shows and movies in which essentially all of the characters are of the same “race,” because it doesn’t reflect reality. It’s easy for me to be white and identify with everyone in 1950s movies, but it has to suck to have few role models that reflect one’s background or culture. After spending several years in southern California and Detroit, the Whiteness of Hollywood has become really annoying to me. A lot of TV shows and movies just don’t look like the America I’ve lived in.

The American melting pot is working, and Old White People are freaking out a bit because they have to change to blend in and keep up, too. Fear always comes from The Unknown, and if people think the world only works the way they want it to – that their beliefs or ideology determines Truth – nobody’s ever going to get along.

The bottom line, though, is that every one of us is in a minority of One. Nobody, not your family members, friends, neighbors, church or community members, or anyone agrees with you about everything. And that’s awesome. I’ve learned infinitely more from people that I disagree with or don’t understand (at first) than the people who are most like me.

There’s nothing like keeping an open mind. It’s certainly kept me happy.

Related articles

• Racist Drudge Report Strikes Again (politics.ie)
• Janet Napolitano Is Not A Fan Of How The Drudge Report Treats Her (mediaite.com)
• Scotiabank Prepares Whites for Minority Status (gunnyg.wordpress.com)